THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT !!!

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HIV Infection raises Heart Failure Risk - Study

By Megan Brooks at Reuters Health | Reuters – Tue, Apr 26, 2011 9:44 AM SGT

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can increase the risk of heart failure even in patients who don't have a prior history of heart disease, a U.S. study said.

And as the HIV virus replicates, the risk increases, added the study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Health care providers traditionally think of HIV and its therapies increasing the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease," said lead author Adreel Butt, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania.

"The surprising finding from our study was the association of HIV with heart failure in the absence of prior coronary heart disease."

The study involved nearly 8,500 adults, with a median age of 48 years in both HIV infected subjects and controls.

The HIV group was more likely to also be infected with Hepatitis C, 31 percent to 11 percent, and to abuse cocaine -- 22 percent to 16 percent.

They were also more likely to be smokers but less likely to have hypertension or diabetes.

During a median follow-up of 7.3 years, 286 people developed heart failure. Rates of heart failure per 1,000 person-years, adjusted for age as well as race and ethnicity, were 7.12 for HIV patients and 4.82 for the controls.

After accounting for traditional risk factors, the hazard ratio for heart failure with HIV was 1.81.

In addition, ongoing replication of the virus led to a significantly higher risk of heart failure.

"On the other hand, if HIV replication is well controlled, then the risk of heart failure is closer to that seen among HIV-uninfected persons," Butt said.

The exact mechanism by which HIV infection is linked to heart failure remains unclear, but possible explanations include the direct effects of the HIV infection, antiretroviral treatment that leads to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and nutritional deficiencies.

"Our results suggest that HIV itself is playing an important and independent role," Butt and her colleagues wrote.

The message for HIV care providers is clear, though.

"Be on the lookout for early signs of heart failure in HIV-infected persons, even if there is no history of preceding coronary heart disease," Butt told Reuters Health.

"Controlling HIV well may reduce the risk of heart failure."

Reporting by Megan Brooks at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies

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Hidden iPhone File Tracks Users' Every Move

Thursday, April 21 12:57 pm

©Sky News 2011

The security of Apple's iPhones and iPads is being called into question after it emerged the devices contain a hidden file that tracks the owner's locations. Skip related content

The finding was reported by two British computer programmers at a technology conference in San Francisco.

The pair found Apple has been logging the whereabouts of 3G phone and iPad users since it updated its mobile operating system a year ago.

The location data is taken from mobile phone masts and Wi-Fi networks and recorded on the device along with the time and date.

However, one of the concerns is that when a person syncs their phone or iPad with a computer the information is transferred to the hard drive permanently.

Anyone with access to this computer, including a hacker, could then trace the user's movements.

And if the phone or iPad was lost or stolen a stranger would also be able to view the data with the right software.

Although other mobile phone companies collect information in similar ways, it is usually kept behind a firewall.

It then normally requires a court order to gain access to it - but this is not the case with this data.

Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan, the researchers behind the discovery, have now set up a webpage to inform the public about the file.

On the page it states: "By passively logging your location without your permission, Apple have made it possible for anyone from a jealous spouse to a private investigator to get a detailed picture of your movements."

Mr Warden, who worked for Apple for five years, has created a free downloadable programme that allows them to see the location data on a map.

It is not known why Apple is collecting the data or whether the function can be disabled.

Duncan Bell from the gadget website T3 told Sky News: "The least sinister interpretation I can put on it is they're collecting this data for app developers to know which parts of the country to concentrate on perhaps?

"I really can't think of another good reason why they'd need to be tracking you all the time.

"It's hard to see how that data could be used against you in that many situations. But it still seems wrong that it's being done without giving you the ability to opt out of it.

"OK, yeah it is in the terms and conditions, but it's buried somewhere in among 15,200 other words."

Apple failed to return calls made by Sky News Online.

The criticism of the technology giant's operations comes after the company revealed on Wednesday that it had nearly doubled its second quarter profits.

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Michelle Chia’s Marriage on the ROCKS ???

By ewenboey | What’s buzzing? – Mon, Apr 25, 2011 1:46 PM SGT

UPDATED

Celebrity couple Michelle Chia and Shaun Chen confirmed on Wednesday that they are getting a divorce.

In a statement, the couple said: "I, Shaun Chen, and Michelle Chia, are currently undergoing divorce proceedings."

They thanked the media and friends for their care and understanding, but asked: "Please give us more space and understanding during this trying time.

"We sincerely wish each other happiness, and may we stay healthy and happy in the future."

Chia, 35, told The New Paper on Wednesday evening: "It is an amicable agreement between both of us after much discussion and consideration.

"Why we decided to part, it is too personal and difficult to explain."

Michelle Chia’s marriage on the rocks ???

By ewenboey | What’s buzzing? – 2 hours 16 minutes ago

Decked out in an outfit that is more suited for the bedroom than the red carpet, Michelle Chia arrived at the Star Awards 2011 Show on Sunday night conspicuously without her actor husband, Shaun Chen.

The Internet is rife with rumours that the stars' three-year marriage is on the rocks, and that Chia and Chen are not sharing the same bed any more.

When quizzed by The New Paper (TNP) if he had been served papers from Chia, Chen was taken aback and speechless.

"How do you know about the letter? Can I not comment on this?" he replied.

Dispelling gossip that the couple are not living together anymore, Chen added that he did not believe in divorce as he is a conservative man.

"A man must be married. If a couple is having problems, then I believe in sticking through them.

"It's not easy for people from two different worlds to be together, and marriage is a long journey," he added.

Chen also emphasised that he "doesn't need to answer to people about his marriage".

Under Singapore law, a couple has to be married for three years before filing for divorce, and a check on the Registry of Marriages website revealed that Chen and Chia have been married for exactly three years.

In contrast to a more subdued Chen, Chia was having a blast posing for photographers in her see-through dress on the red carpet, and then later in her Madonna-inspired chili-red dress complete with fibreglass breast cones.

TNP revealed that an industry insider confirmed the rumour that Chia is now dating a Caucasian.

When Chia was quizzed at the event, she replied, "I don't want to talk about this. Let's just talk about clothes and awards tonight."

She went on to talk about her racy Ferragamo outfit, and said that "it was sexy and not too vulgar...because it's like playing peekaboo without revealing everything."

Chen admitted that he was shocked with her outfit, but added that she "looked pretty in it" and did not need his permission to wear it.

He added that they did not walk in together during the event due to the arrangements made by the programming people.

Other married celebrity couples at the show like Fann Wong and Christopher Lee, and Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang were seen hand-in-hand on the red carpet and on stage.

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Trump blasts President Obama

Tuesday, April 26 09:47 am

Donald Trump has suggested that President Barack Obama was a poor student, who did not deserve to be admitted to the Ivy League universities he attended. Skip related content

Real estate mogul Trump, who is mulling a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, offered no proof for his claim but said he would continue to press the matter as he has the legitimacy of the president's birth certificate.

"I heard he was a terrible student. Not like okay, I heard he was a bad student. How does a bad student then go to Columbia and then go to Harvard? How does this happen? He's a bad student, gets in to Columbia, top, top school. Gets into Harvard, top, top, top school," he said.

Obama graduated from Columbia University in New York in 1983 with a degree in political science after transferring from Occidental College in California.

He went on to Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna ###### laude 1991 and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.

Obama's 2008 campaign did not release his college transcripts, and in his best-selling memoir, "Dreams From My Father," Obama indicated he hadn't always been an academic star.

Trump said in an interview in New York that Obama's refusal to release his college grades were part of a pattern of concealing information about himself.

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Obama Releases Full Birth Certificate

11 hours 33 mins ago

©Sky News 2011

US President Barack Obama has posted his full birth certificate on the internet, in an effort to finally kill speculation he was born abroad.

The issue of the leader's origins had become increasingly prominent, with recent opinion polls indicating one in four Americans believed he was born in another country.

Released on the White House website, the form says Barack Hussein Obama II was born at 7.24pm on August 4 1961, at Kapiolani Hospital, within the city limits of Honolulu, Hawaii.

It is signed by the delivery doctor, Obama's mother and the local registrar.

Only 'natural born' citizens can become president according to a vague clause in the US constitution.

Members of the so-called 'birther' movement contended that disqualified Obama from his post. Sceptics also suggested he was born in his father's home country of Kenya.

And potential election rival, businessman Donald Trump, had repeatedly questioned whether the president was born in the US.

Mr Obama's campaign team failed to put the matter to bed in 2008 when releasing the standard 'short form' birth certificate issued upon request from the state of Hawaii.

But the president said officials in Hawaii had been persuaded to make an exception and release the full 'long form' version of the documents because the debate had become a sideshow.

"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers," he said.

"Normally I would not comment on something like this, because obviously there's a lot of stuff swirling in the press on any given day and I've got other things to do."

But he said the matter had become the dominant news story - even in the week the federal budget was announced.

"We've got some big challenges ahead," he said.

"We're not going to be able to do it if we just make stuff up and pretend that facts are not facts. We do not have time for this kind of silliness."

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3D P.O.R.N. Film beats Avatar at Hong Kong Box Office

AFP News Thu, Apr 21, 2011 2:54 PM SGT

A Hong Kong movie billed as the world's first 3D P.O.R.N. film has broken the city's first-day box office record previously set by Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

"3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" took in HK$2.8 million ($360,000) on its first day last week, outpacing director James Cameron's science fiction epic which drew HK$2.6 million, the P.O.R.N. movie's publicist told AFP Thursday.

The film has taken more than HK$15 million since its release, she added.

Curious movie-goers from all walks of life -- office workers, retirees and students -- stood in long queues outside Hong Kong cinemas on the film's first day last week, eager to catch an eyeful of the P.O.R.N. 3D action.

Loosely based on a piece of classical Chinese erotic literature, the $3.2-million Cantonese-language movie features orgies, swinging and some very graphic sex scenes.

Set in the Ming dynasty, the film chronicles the story of a young man who, after being introduced to the erotic world of an aristocrat, realises his ex-wife is the love of his life.

The film stars Japanese adult actresses Yukiko Suo and Saori Hara.

The movie, which opened in Taiwan last Friday, and has sparked strong interest in many Asian markets, including Japan and South Korea, as well as Europe and the United States, according to the producer.

Travel operators were reportedly organising moviegoing excursions to Hong Kong and Taiwan for tourists from mainland China, where strict censorship rules prevent any screening of the film.

"3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" opened ahead of reported plans by other filmmakers to produce similar 3D P.O.R.N. movies.

Italian director Tinto Brass has announced he is to produce a 3D remake of his 1979 erotic film Caligula, while Hustler plans to release a pornographic spoof of AVATAR, the top-grossing movie of all time.

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Posters of MAN in SEX VIDEO found at Bus Stop in Malaysia

By News Desk in Kuala Lumpur/The Star | ANN 2 hours 34 minutes ago

Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - Posters of a Picture Montage of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and clips from a SEX VIDEO were found at a bus stop in Jalan Genting Klang here.

It is learnt that the stack of posters was found at around 11.30am on Tuesday.

People grabbed copies of the posters which, on one side, featured black-and-white screen captures that focused on the face and body of a man in the sex video with coloured images of the opposition leader.

A caption accompanying the images reads: "Tak perlu jadi pakar jika ingin buktikan sesuatu! (No need to be an expert to prove something)".

On the reverse side is a black-and-white screen capture of a man in the buff and in the midst of wearing a shirt. A caption accompanying the photo alleges that Anwar went to London on April 16 to have plastic surgery and poses the question: "Fikirkanlah, bahagian manakah tubuh badannya untuk diubah? (Think about it, which part of his body would he want changed?)".

Kuala Lumpur police chief Deputy Comm Zulkifli Abdullah said no police reports had been lodged and urged those in possession of the posters to lodge a report.

"It is an offence punishable under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984," he said.

Earlier this month in Malacca, a 16-page booklet containing obscene superimposed images of several Parti Keadilan Rakyat politicians was distributed to several offices.

A check online revealed that at least one blogger received a similar booklet that bore the title Kisah Seorang Sifu Teragung Alaf Ini (The Story of the Greatest Grandmaster of the Century).

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DIRTY POLITICS !!!

Another 'ANWAR SEX VIDEO' uploaded on YouTube

By Steven Daniel and Lee Yen Mun in Kuala Lumpur/The Star | ANN Thu, Apr 28, 2011 11:30 AM SGT

Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - Another short clip of a sex video showing an individual resembling Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has made its way into the Internet.

The video, titled Papa Nurul Izzah Part II, was uploaded on YouTube at around 5.30pm Wednesday by a person with the alias wakparjosudorno' showing a naked woman walking into a bathroom and a naked man putting on his clothes.

Based on profile details of the person who posted the video clip, the person appears to be an Indonesian, but there is no detail where it was posted from.

It is believed that this clip is the final portion of the 22-minute video screened to journalists on March 21.

On April 4, the first clip was shared on YouTube and it showed the same man in a towel, who later hugged the woman who was also in a towel.

Unlike the previous video, this upload had no words in the Thai language running at the bottom of the screen.

Due to those words, there was a possibility that the earlier clip was posted from Thailand.

The date on the latest clip read 2011/02/21 while the time was between 22:43 and 22:45.

The woman was seen walking towards another room, believed to be the bathroom, while the man wearing a towel patted himself dry, left the room and later reappeared naked.

He then proceeded to wear his underwear, shirt and pants.

By 7pm Wednesday, attempts to view the video were unsuccessful as the content was flagged offensive and removed from YouTube. But it was picked up and posted on several blogs.

It is believed that police investigations against former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik, businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Perkasa treasurer Shuaib Lazim, who make up the Datuk T trio, are not expected to be affected with the release of the new video clip.

Meanwhile, Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah, who is vice-president of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), said her family knew that the actor was not her father and that it was another attempt to destroy their fighting spirit. She also called on Malaysians to rise above gutter politics.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution insisted that the police were to blame for the sequel of the sex video clip implicating Anwar.

He accused the police of prolonging the issue and failing to take action against Datuk T, although the trio have openly admitted that they were responsible for the production of the tape.

"If we are to believe them (Datuk T), who claimed that the original copy of the video had been handed over to the police, then there is only one possibility on how it could have leaked on the Internet.

"The onus is on the police to come clean," Saifuddin said.

In his twitter, Democratic Action Party (DAP) adviser Lim Kit Siang criticised a local television station for showing the latest sex video clip during its prime time news slot.

He said Malaysians would "feel violated in their homes with such disgusting TV fare" and that no child was safe at home.

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Not all young Australian Men want more SEX - Survey

Reuters, Mon, May 02, 2011

SYDNEY - Unbelievable as it may sound, not all young men want more sex.

According to a survey of Australian men, 12 percent between the ages of 16 and 24 said they wanted less sex - the highest proportion of any age group.

"Although it's a minority, it's still interesting that it's more of them (than any other age group), which is not that sort of myth, boys not getting enough sex and dying to get it," Juliet Richters, Associate Professor in Sexual Health, University of New South Wales, told Reuters.

Richters and a team of researchers from around Australia surveyed some 4,300 heterosexual men and 4,400 women between the ages of 16 and 64.

She said another survey five years ago showed similar results.

Only 31 percent of men in that age group said they wanted more sex, the lowest of any other age group as well.

"It may well be that they are being overwhelmed by girls of much the same age who are madly in love and very keen," she said.

"It also takes men of that age about a year or longer to commit to a relationship."

More predictably, the survey found that 57 percent of men between 35 and 44 wanted more sex compared with only 28 percent of women, while 14 percent of women said they wanted less.

Half of men aged 55 to 64 wanted more sex, while only 27 percent of women in the same age group felt the same.

"The evolutionary explanation is women are only keen on sex when they can conceive. A social explanation is a whole lot of stuff, including time, pressure, tiredness," Richter said.

"I mean, sex is a leisure activity after all."

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Al Qaeda Leader Osama Bin Laden Killed

Sky News – 55 minutes ago

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed in an American-led operation in Pakistan, US President Barack Obama has announced.

In the latest pictures from Abbotabad, a town just 60 miles from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, flames are seen rising from a building that was the apparent target of the raid.

It is thought Bin Laden had been living in a $1m villa in Abbotabad.

He was reportedly asked to surrender by US forces before he was shot.

Pakistani television stations have broadcast what they say is a confirmed photograph of the bloodied face of the world's most wanted man after he was killed.

In the last few minutes, David Cameron has been speaking from Downing Street, saying the news would be welcomed across the country.

"It is, I believe, a massive step forward," he said.

Earlier, President Obama confirmed in a news conference: "I can report to the American people and to the world, that the US has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden."

The US president said he was briefed about a possible lead to the whereabouts of the the world's most wanted man and mastermind of the September 11 attacks in August and last week appproved an operation "to bring Bin Laden to justice".

"A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties," President Obama said.

The body of Bin Laden - who fled the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 - was recovered by US officials from the compound in Abbottabad, northwest of Pakistan, where he had been hiding.

President Obama said: "After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body."

A US official told reporters that the corpse was being handled in accordance with Islamic customs.

Sky News' chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "I am told that this happened in an attack on a house at 1.30 in the morning Pakistan time. The house has been cordoned off."

It was not clear how long Bin Laden had been staying at the compound.

Reuters quoted a US official as saying a son of Bin Laden's and two other adults were also killed in the raid.

US citizens welcomed the news with hundreds of people gathering outside the White House and in New York's Times Square.

Sky's US correspondent Robert Nisbet said: "We seem to be building a picture that this was very well thought through. Obviously the president was informed every step of the way.

"It appears to have happened a few days ago with final confirmation coming today."

President Obama spoke to former president George W Bush and former President Bill Clinton before announcing Bin Laden's death.

President Bush said it was a "momentous achievement".

"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said in a statement.

President Obama also warned that "al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks" against the US.

"The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda. His death does not mark the end of our effort," he said.

The US state department issued a worldwide travel alert to all US citizens warning of an "enhanced potential" for US citizens to be targeted.

[kueytoc]

Bin Laden DEAD, Obama says JUSTICE IS DONE

By Stephen Collinson | AFP News – Mon, May 2, 2011 1:04 PM SGT

Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday in a firefight with covert US forces deep inside Pakistan, prompting President Barack Obama to declare "justice has been done" a decade after the September 11 attacks.

The death of the reviled US enemy, after a massive manhunt, sparked jubilation across the United States, with a huge crowd gathering outside the White House just before midnight, chanting "USA, USA" and waving American flags as Obama made a sudden and dramatic nationwide address to Americans.

"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children," Obama said.

Obama said in the historic speech from the White House that he had directed US armed forces to launch an attack against a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Sunday acting on a lead that first emerged last August.

"A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. President Obama's statement on bin Laden's death

"After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body," the US leader said.

"Justice has been done."

Bin Laden's demise marks the biggest triumph yet in the 10-year US war against terrorism launched after the September 11 attacks, which saw America embroiled in two wars, and changed many aspects of US life. Related article: Osama bin Laden put 'holy war' on global agenda

The operation will also likely go down as one of the most spectacular intelligence operations in US history, and provide a huge morale boost the oft-criticized US covert community.

Former US president George W. Bush who was in office at the time of the September 11 attacks said bin Laden's death was a "momentous" achievement and congratulated Obama and US intelligence and military forces.

"This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," Bush said in a statement.

"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."

Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed bin Laden's death.

Obama said he had called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari after bin Laden's death and said cooperation with the uneasy US anti-terror ally had helped lead American forces to bin Laden.

US armed forces have been hunting the Saudi terror kingpin for years, an effort that was redoubled following the attacks by hijacked airliners on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon which killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001. Osama bin Laden in his own words

A fourth passenger jet crashed in a remote area of Pennsylvania, apparently brought down after passengers revolted and tried to prevent it from reaching its target, assumed to be Washington.

Until Sunday, bin Laden had always managed to evade US armed forces and a massive manhunt, and was most often thought to be hiding out in Pakistan and Afghanistan border areas.

The death of bin Laden will raise huge questions about the future shape of Al-Qaeda and also have steep implications for US security and foreign policy 10 years into a global anti-terror campaign.

It will also provoke fears that the United States and its allies will face retaliation from supporters of bin Laden and other Islamic extremist groups.

Bin Laden's demise will also cast a new complexion on the increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan, where 100,000 troops are still battling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda after a decade of war.

Bush first said he wanted bin Laden "dead or alive" in the weeks after the September 11 attacks.

Bin Laden was top of America's most wanted list, and was blamed by Washington for masterminding a string of other attacks, including the attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Africa in 1998.

He frequently taunted Bush, and Obama after he took office in 2009, with taped messages.

The US dollar rose against the euro and the yen when it emerged that Obama would announce bin Laden's death.

The dollar went up against the euro, which fetched 1.4764 dollars from 1.4864 in earlier trade. The dollar was at 81.66 yen from 81.19 earlier. Related article: Dollar rises on reports Osama bin Laden is dead

The news was welcomed by Americans across the country, even though bin Laden's death was only confirmed shortly before midnight Sunday.

"I'm proud to be an American tonight," Kenneth Specht, a New York firefighter on 9/11, told CNN, paying tribute to the victims of the attacks in New York and Washington.

"Tonight they are first and foremost in our minds," he said.

Amid fears of retaliation by Al-Qaeda or other groups, the US State Department issued a global travel alert to all US citizens.

"The US Department of State alerts US citizens traveling and residing abroad to the enhanced potential for anti-American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan," it said in a statement.

New York's police chief Raymond Kelly meanwhile called the killing of bin Laden a "welcome milestone" for the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

[kueytoc]

Fear of TECH helped Betray bin Laden

By Chris Lefkow | AFP News – Tue, May 3, 2011 5:24 AM SGT

In a high-tech world where just about anyone who can afford it has a telephone or an Internet connection, Osama bin Laden's decision to shun the communications tools helped contribute to his demise.

Despite years of speculation that the Al-Qaeda leader may be living in rough conditions along the Pakistan-Afghan border, he turned up in a well-appointed villa in a military cantonment town north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

But the mansion in Abbottabad where the 9/11 mastermind was killed by US Navy Seals on Sunday did not have telephone or Internet service, according to US officials, presumably to prevent detection through electronic eavesdropping.

The absence of the basic tools of modern communications in a luxury home was cited by US officials as precisely one of the things that aroused their suspicion that the building was being used to house the Al-Qaeda leader.

Briefing reporters on the intelligence that led to the raid on bin Laden's hideout, a senior US administration official who requested anonymity said it was "noteworthy" that "the property is valued at approximately $1 million but has no telephone or Internet service connected to it."

"Everything we saw -- the extremely elaborate operational security... and the location and the design of the compound itself was perfectly consistent with what our experts expected bin Laden's hideout to look like," the official said. "Intelligence analysts concluded that this compound was custom built to hide someone of significance."

While bin Laden was betrayed in part by his decision not to equip the villa with something as simple as a telephone, the United States on the other hand deployed some of its most sophisticated high-tech assets to track him down.

The Pentagon on Monday released a series of satellite photographs of the bin Laden hideout and a diagram of the premises which included such details as the precise heights of the various walls surrounding the complex.

Central Intelligence Agency director Leon Panetta specifically cited the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Security Agency in a message to CIA employees marking bin Laden's death.

The NGA is the US government's main mapping agency responsible for satellite and other imagery while the NSA is its super-secret electronic eavesdropper, tasked with monitoring and intercepting communications around the world.

"We applied the full range of our capabilities, collecting intelligence through both human and technical means and subjecting it to the most rigorous analysis by our government's leading experts on bin Laden and his organization," Panetta said.

US officials said what initially led them to the compound was discovering the identity of a man known to have served as a courier for bin Laden.

From there, US intelligence analysts were able to "build a body of evidence that suggested, circumstantially, that bin Laden was at that compound," said John Brennan, US President Barack Obama's anti-terror advisor.

That included the curious lack of telephone or Internet service.

[kueytoc]

Osama bin Laden: 9/11 Author who defied BUSH

By William Maclean | Reuters Mon, May 2, 2011 1:32 PM SGT

LONDON (Reuters) - Challenging the might of the "infidel" United States, Osama bin Laden masterminded the deadliest militant attacks in history and then built a global network of allies to wage a "holy war" intended to outlive him.

The man behind the suicide hijack attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and who U.S. officials said late on Sunday was dead, was the nemesis of former President George W. Bush, who pledged to take him "dead or alive" and whose two terms were dominated by a "war on terror" against his al Qaeda network.

Bin Laden also assailed Bush's successor, Barack Obama, dismissing a new beginning with Muslims he offered in a 2009 speech as sowing "seeds for hatred and revenge against America".

Widely assumed to be hiding in Pakistan -- whether in a mountain cave or a bustling city -- bin Laden was believed to be largely bereft of operational control, under threat from U.S. drone strikes and struggling with disenchantment among former supporters alienated by suicide attacks in Iraq in 2004-06.

But even as political and security pressures grew on him in 2009-2010, the Saudi-born militant appeared to hit upon a strategy of smaller, more easily-organised attacks, carried out by globally-scattered hubs of sympathisers and affiliate groups.

Al Qaeda sprouted new offshoots in Yemen, Iraq and North Africa and directed or inspired attacks from Bali to Britain to the United States, where a Nigerian Islamist made a botched attempt to down an airliner over Detroit on Dec 25, 2009.

While remaining the potent figurehead of al Qaeda, bin Laden turned its core leadership from an organisation that executed complex team-based attacks into a propaganda hub that cultivated affiliated groups to organise and strike on their own.

With his long grey beard and wistful expression, bin Laden became one of the most instantly recognisable people on the planet, his gaunt face staring out from propaganda videos and framed on a U.S. website offering a $25 million bounty.

Officials say U.S. authorities have recovered bin Laden's body, ending the largest manhunt in history involving thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers in the rugged mountains along the border.

Whether reviled as a terrorist and mass murderer or hailed as the champion of oppressed Muslims fighting injustice and humiliation, bin Laden changed the course of history.

ASYMMETRIC WARFARE

The United States and its allies rewrote their security doctrines, struggling to adjust from Cold War-style confrontation between states to a new brand of transnational "asymmetric warfare" against small cells of Islamist militants.

Al Qaeda's weapons were not tanks, submarines and aircraft carriers but the everyday tools of globalisation and 21st century technology -- among them the Internet, which it eagerly exploited for propaganda, training and recruitment.

But, by his own account, not even bin Laden anticipated the full impact of using 19 suicide hijackers to turn passenger aircraft into guided missiles and slam them into buildings that symbolised U.S. financial and military power.

Nearly 3,000 people died when two planes struck New York's World Trade Center, a third hit the Pentagon in Washington and a fourth crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers rushed the hijackers.

"Here is America struck by God Almighty in one of its vital organs," bin Laden said in a statement a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, urging Muslims to rise up and join a global battle between "the camp of the faithful and the camp of the infidels".

In video and audio messages over the next seven years, the al Qaeda leader goaded Washington and its allies. His diatribes lurched across a range of topics, from the war in Iraq to U.S. politics, the subprime mortgage crisis and even climate change.

A gap of nearly three years in his output of video messages revived speculation he might be gravely ill with a kidney problem or even have died, but bin Laden was back on screen in September 2007, telling Americans their country was vulnerable despite its economic and military power.

MILLIONAIRE FATHER

Born in Saudi Arabia in 1957, one of more than 50 children of millionaire businessman Mohamed bin Laden, he lost his father while still a boy -- killed in a plane crash, apparently due to an error by his American pilot.

Osama's first marriage, to a Syrian cousin, came at the age of 17, and he is reported to have at least 23 children from at least five wives. Part of a family that made its fortune in the oil-funded Saudi construction boom, bin Laden was a shy boy and an average student, who took a degree in civil engineering.

He went to Pakistan soon after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and raised funds at home before making his way to the Afghan front lines and developing militant training camps.

According to some accounts, he helped form al Qaeda ("The Base") in the dying days of the Soviet occupation. A book by U.S. writer Steve Coll, "The Bin Ladens", suggested the death in 1988 of his extrovert half-brother Salem -- again in a plane crash -- was an important factor in Osama's radicalisation.

Bin Laden condemned the presence in Saudi Arabia of U.S. troops sent to eject Iraqi forces from Kuwait after the 1990 invasion, and remained convinced that the Muslim world was the victim of international terrorism engineered by America.

He called for a jihad against the United States, which had spent billions of dollars bankrolling the Afghan resistance in which he had fought.

TRAIL OF ATTACKS

Al Qaeda embarked on a trail of attacks, beginning with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six and first raised the spectre of Islamist extremism spreading to the United States.

Bin Laden was the prime suspect in bombings of U.S. servicemen in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996 as well as attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 that killed 224.

In October 2000, suicide bombers rammed into the USS Cole warship in Yemen, killing 17 sailors, and al Qaeda was blamed.

Disowned by his family and stripped of Saudi citizenship, bin Laden had moved first to Sudan in 1991 and later resurfaced in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996.

With his wealth, largesse and shared radical Muslim ideology, bin Laden soon eased his way into inner Taliban circles as they imposed their rigid interpretation of Islam.

From Afghanistan, bin Laden issued religious decrees against U.S. soldiers and ran training camps where militants were groomed for a global campaign of violence.

Recruits were drawn from Central, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and even Europe by their common hatred of the United States, Israel and moderate Muslim governments, as well as a desire for a more fundamentalist brand of Islam.

After the 1998 attacks on two of its African embassies, the United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at Afghanistan, targeting al Qaeda training camps. Bin Laden escaped unscathed.

The Taliban paid a heavy price for sheltering bin Laden and his fighters, suffering a humiliating defeat after a U.S.-led invasion in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.

ESCAPE FROM TORA BORA

Al Qaeda was badly weakened, with many fighters killed or captured. Bin Laden vanished -- some reports say U.S. bombs narrowly missed him in late 2001 as he and his forces slipped out of Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains and into Pakistan.

But the start of the Iraq war in 2003 produced a fresh surge of recruits for al Qaeda due to opposition to the U.S. invasion within Muslim communities around the world, analysts say.

Apparently protected by the Afghan Taliban in their northwest Pakistani strongholds, bin Laden also built ties to an array of south Asian militant groups and backed a bloody revolt by the Pakistani Taliban against the Islamabad government.

Amid a reinvigorated al Qaeda propaganda push, operatives or sympathisers were blamed for attacks from Indonesia and Pakistan to Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Spain, Britain and Somalia.

Tougher security in the West and killings of middle-rank Qaeda men helped weaken the group, and some followers noted critically that the last successful al Qaeda-linked strike in a Western country was the 2005 London bombings that killed 52.

But Western worries about radicalisation grew following a string of incidents involving U.S.-based radicals in 2009-10 including an attempt to bomb New York's Times Square.

In a 2006 audio message, bin Laden alluded to the U.S. hunt for him and stated his determination to avoid capture: "I swear not to die but a free man."

(Editing by William Maclean)

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Woman BARES ALL for detained Artist

Press Association Mon, May 2, 2011

A yoga teacher gave visitors at one of London's best-known art galleries a naked surprise as she dropped her clothes in support of a detained Chinese artist.

A yoga teacher gave visitors at one of London's best-known art galleries a naked surprise as she dropped her clothes in support of a detained Chinese artist.

Charlotte Eaton, 32, decided to walk naked across missing artist Ai Weiwei's "landscape of sunflower seeds" after being inspired by his work when she first visited the exhibition on Wednesday.

Ms Eaton, from north-west London, threw caution to the wind as she undressed at Ai's Sunflower Seeds exhibition at London's Tate Modern on Monday afternoon.

Ai, an internationally famed avant-garde artist, who is also an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, was last seen in police custody in early April.

The Chinese government confirmed that it had detained Ai and was investigating him for economic crimes.

After being captivated by Ai's exhibition, Ms Eaton emailed Tate Modern to request the opportunity to be photographed naked among the seeds as a way of reflecting the "playfulness" of the artwork and to give the silenced artist a voice, she said.

Ms Eaton, a laughter yoga teacher who runs her own business, had painted a sunflower and the words 'thank you Ai Weiwei' and 'freedom' on her body.

"I didn't want to be removed by security so didn't stay long. I heard someone shout 'bravo', which was very nice," she said.

She said her show of support was witnessed by around 40 bystanders who were visiting the exhibition. She said that she was watched by Tate Modern staff members and security but no-one stopped her.

"No action was taken against me by security guards, and a member of the Tate's press smiled at me as I winked at her and left."

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10 BRAIN FOODS for increased Intelligence

Certain foods can boost our intellectual performance. Discover your brain’s best friends and add them to your diet in your quest to become the next Nobel Prize winner!

Doctissimo - Monday, 2 May 2011 12:00 BST

© Thinkstock

Although it accounts for only 2% of your total body weight, the fact remains that the brain is a food-hungry organ with ten times the appetite of other organs. In order to function, it uses up a minimum of 20% of your daily calorie in-take.

In addition to calories, you should also make sure you get good nutrients for your neurons through a balanced and varied diet. To ensure your brain gets what it needs there are certain foods you should add to your diet.

1. Oily fish (mackerel, sardines salmon…) for brain maintenance

More than 50% of brain mass is made up of lipids, and over 70% of these are fatty acids that belong to the well-known Omega 3 group. These fats are crucial to the production and maintenance of brain cells, preserving the fluidity of cell membrane.

They also play a part in neuron activity. Weakening brain function and memory trouble can often be traced back to a deficiency in Omega 31. Oily fish are one of the best sources of Omega 3, but if fish isn't to your taste, consider nut oils and rapeseed oil as equally rich alternatives.

2. Pulses (lentils, chick-peas...) for brain energy

The brain is said to be glucose-dependent, which means it uses only glucose to function. It consumes more than 5g an hour, but doesn’t know how to store it. It therefore has to be regularly supplied your diet via the circulatory system. It has long been proven that the most difficult task within intellectual performance, the capacity to memorise, depends on the level of glucose in the blood2.

But beware of indulging in sugary foods and confectionery; though easy to snack on, they can lead to such strong fluctuations that your system can react violently and reduce blood sugar to below its normal level. The brain cannot tolerate this and the drop in blood sugar leads to fatigue and a shorter attention span.

The sugars that are said to be ‘complex’ and which have a low Glycaemic Index (GI) are therefore crucial. Pulses are rich in these ‘complex’ sugars, and their GI is one of the lowest. This really works to allow the regulation of glucose in the blood and its supply to the brain without creating a reaction of hyperglycaemia. If pulses aren’t to your taste either, consider wholegrain foods, especially cooked ‘al dente’.

3. Bananas for a calm brain

Rich in magnesium, which is essential in the transmission of nervous impulses, bananas are equally a source of Vitamin B6 (just one banana holds practically a quarter of the recommended daily amount). This vitamin is not only involved in the assimilation and use of magnesium in cells, but also in the metabolism of amino acids and the functioning of the nervous system through enabling the production of certain neurotransmitters, notably Serotonin and GABA (Gamma-amino butyric acid).

These two molecules seem to create the right state of mind for prudent, calm and measured behaviour. If you don’t like bananas, consider prunes or dried fruit instead.

4. Liver (veal, beef, chicken…) for intelligence

The brain accounts for around 20% of the body’s oxygen needs, and iron is needed to get oxygen to the brain by means of the blood’s haemoglobin. Liver is one of your diet’s assets guaranteed to contain this valuable metal. Equally, liver is one of the most important sources of Vitamin B. Since the mid 1980s, it has been shown that these vitamins, mainly B9, B12, B1 and B6, improve cognitive function and the results of intelligence tests. If you don’t like liver, consider ham, beef or nutritional yeast as a supplement.

5. Red berries for happy brain cells

All edible berries (blackcurrants, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc.) are veritable mines of Vitamin C (blackcurrants have twice as much concentration in Vitamin C as kiwi fruit, and three times as much as oranges). They have antioxidant micronutrients that make up their colour (anthocyanes, polyphenols, flavonoids…)

Together, they not only fight against free radicals which can affect nerve cells, notably brain cells, but also improve circulation and strengthen blood capillaries, which enable the best oxygenation of the brain. If you don’t like red berries, then go for kiwi fruit or garlic.

6. Shellfish for brain function

Though rich in Vitamin B12 and in protein (notably lysine, a precursor to dopamine, a powerful neurotransmitter), it is mostly the oligo-elements in seafood and crustaceans (oysters, clams, shrimp etc.) that are good for brain function. Oligo-elements are crucial in order to fight and prevent stress and its inconveniences. Some of these can be described as ‘therapeutic weapons’ as they have a hand in fighting anxiety, mental fatigue and nervous disposition.

Manganese, copper, lithium, zinc and iodine have this effect too and can also be found in seafood. If you don’t like shellfish, consider eating wholemeal bread, algae (which has iodised salt as in table salt) or wheat germ.

7. Eggs for brain connectivity

Eggs contain lecithin and phospholipids, integral to the construction of brain cell membrane. In terms of feeding intellect, their value lies mainly in the quality of their proteins. Long used as points of reference when analysing the quality of other dietary proteins by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA), eggs are actually rich in amino acids, essential in the production of the principal neurotransmitters.

This is also the case with acetylcholine, a synthesis made from methionine and serine used in the process of memorisation, where noradrenalin (which stimulates learning) and its production rely on the presence of tyrosine and phenylaline, which are again found in the proteins in eggs. If you don’t like eggs, consider white fish as an alternative.

8. Spinach for good memory

All leafy vegetables share a richness in Vitamin B9 (or folates), which is known to play an active role in the development of a foetus’ nervous tissue and also in the renewal of blood cells. One of the signs of Vitamin B9 deficiency is reduced awareness and memory deterioration3. This phenomenon, observed in people of advanced age with folate deficiency, can probably be explained by the fact that Vitamin B9 is needed for the maintenance of dendrites (arborisation of neurons, where B9 levels are high).

If you don’t like spinach, go for watercress, lamb’s lettuce, iceberg lettuce, broccoli or different types of herbs. Of these, rosemary is worth noting as it has certain flavonoids (notably apigenin) in its aroma, which possess stimulating properties affecting concentration and memory through encouraging cerebral blood flow.

9. Cocoa for brain stimulation

In Aztec times, cocoa was already considered a medicine. Later, Casanova, the legendary seducer of women, used chocolate as an aphrodisiac with the kind of effects we know well! Since then, the chemical analysis of cocoa paste has revealed many surprises; besides the important calorific benefits, the presence of molecules similar to caffeine (theobromine, theophylline) and amphetamines (phenylethylamine, tyramine) give chocolate its true power as a tonic and psycho-stimulant. At the same time, chocolate’s high magnesium content (330mg per 100g), and the molecules it contains which are similar to serotonin (the ‘relaxation’ hormone), account for its ‘anti-stress’ and anti-depressant effects.

But that’s not all! Scientists have demonstrated the positive role flavonoids present in cocoa play in encouraging better dilation of blood vessels4. These antioxidant compounds help fight free radicals and guard the brain’s activity. Beware of over-indulging, however. If you don’t like chocolate, drink tea (which also contains antioxidants) and weak coffee (for its caffeine and its psycho-stimulating effect5), but being mindful of excess and without indulging too much at the risk of cancelling out or even reversing the effects.

10. Avocado to keep the brain young

The avocado is exceptionally rich in Vitamin E. This vitamin constitutes one of the most powerful antioxidants and protects the fatty tissues of the brain from ageing. If you don’t like avocado, consider oleaginous fruit instead (nuts, particularly hazelnuts etc.).

And don’t forget that, in order to become a real intellectual athlete, you must equally train your brain with special exercises (cerebral games, memory puzzles…). And you mustn’t neglect rest either (sleep is crucial for the brain’s regeneration…). In following this advice, you may not pick up that Nobel Prize, but you will have a brain that’s at the top of its game nonetheless!

1. Neurology. 2004, 62(2): 275-280

2. Psychopharmacol, 1993, 113: 83-8

3. JAMA, 1983, 249: 2917-21

4. J Hypertens. 2003 Dec; 21(12): 2281-6

5. J Psychopharmacol, 1991, 5: 120-8

Damien Galtier

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Gonna ENJOY the SHOW this WEEKEND !!!

THRILLER LIVE comes to SINGAPORE

By Ion Danker | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 6:38 PM SGT

The spectacular, high-octane show celebrating the career of the world's undisputed King of Pop — Michael and the Jackson 5, is here in Singapore.

Thriller Live marks the first dedicated live theatrical experience ever, and it is moonwalking its way into The Grand Theatre at Marina Bay Sands for a limited run of 16 shows till 15 May.

The show was specially created to celebrate the astonishing 40-year career of the world's greatest entertainer, and was originally conceived by executive director, Adrian Grant, an associate of Michael Jackson for more than 20 years, and author of 'Michael Jackson — The Visual Documentary'.

Here is Adrian in his own words.

You've known MJ for over 20 years. How did you react when you heard about his death?

My first thoughts were for his family — especially his mother Katherine and three children. For two nights I couldn't sleep and did not believe that Michael was gone. I was very fortunate to get to know him personally over a 21-year period and he was always very kind and open towards me. He was a smart and funny guy, not at all like the press perceive him to be. I have nothing but great memories.

Obviously with the show I'm surrounded by his music constantly, and I feel he is still with his fans in spirit, but I will miss what more there could have been.

When was your last conversation with MJ before his death and what was your conversation about?

It was a brief conversation (in 2007), but he wished me good luck with 'Thriller Live', and wanted me to do well. Michael was always very kind and considerate. Unfortunately Michael never got to see 'Thriller Live', but the Director of 'This Is It', Kenny Ortgea told me recently that Michael was planning to come and see the show in London, and that he was going to wear a disguise so he didn't get mobbed!

Could you describe your relationship with MJ?

Looking back I feel very privileged that I got to know one of the greatest entertainers of all-time so well. He inspired me greatly to do the things I loved, working in music, film and theatre. As a person he was always kind, giving and funny and as an artist he was a true genius.

I was always honest with Michael, and spoke with him like I would any other friend and I think because of that he trusted me and allowed me access to his world — that is Michael Jackson the normal man at home, and Michael Jackson the megastar on stage.

When you met MJ for the first time in 1990, how different was he from who you had in mind?

I didn't have any preconceptions of what Michael would be like. But from the moment I did meet him he was kind, funny and had a big smile. He was very talkative —a bout many different subjects. But mainly he liked to have a laugh and joke around. That's not to say he wasn't ever serious because he was an absolute genius in the recording studio and when performing.

How have things changed following the star's death?

So many things were said about MJ when he passed on.

Do you think MJ should have been vilified in the press?

There will never be another Michael Jackson. The music industry has changed and is far more instant then it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. Michael grew up during the Motown era, and worked hard with his brothers touring and perfecting their craft. Furthermore he learnt from greats such as Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Jackie Wilson and James Brown. He always said he would 'study the greats and aim to become better!'

You may find an individual who can sing better, or dance better — but what made Michael the King of Pop was that he did everything, and he did it so very well and with his own style. As a songwriter he was sometimes underrated — but like at hits such as 'Billie Jean', 'Wanna Be Startin Somethin', 'Earth Song' and 'Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough' — pure pop classics. As a singer he had an incredible 4-octave range, and as a dancer he created breakthrough videos such as 'Beat It' and 'Thriller', and was complimented by none other than Fred Astaire.

It's a tragedy that it took his passing for him to get a lot of the respect that he gets now (from the press and media). I sometimes think he was under rated as an artist, because people focused more on his lifestyle and the hype around him, than the actual quality of his music and performances.

How did Thriller LIVE! come about? What were your inspirations?

Michael was a big fan of the 'Annual Michael Jackson Celebration' that I used to produce once a year in London. He loved them so much that he used to send his own video crew to film them, as well as donating signed prizes for the raffle, and recording personal video messages for the fans.

Then on the 10th anniversary in 2001 Michael came to watch the show personally. It was similar to 'Thriller Live' in that we had various people on stage singing his songs, and after the performance, Michael came on stage and said it was 'Incredible and beautiful!'

That gave me the idea and belief that the Annual Celebration could become a touring show, not just for Michael's fans — but for everybody to get a little taste of what Michael Jackson was like live on stage.

Has the worldwide tour surpassed your expectations? Did you ever think it'd come this far?

Michael was at the top of his career for over 4 decades and sold over 750 million records. It hasn't surprised me that a show with his music in should do so well. Plus this is a show done from the heart with a lot of genuine love and respect for the artist with a very talented cast. The singers, dancers and live band all pay homage to Michael's work perfectly.

What comes after the worldwide tour?

I am producing a new show, Respect La Diva, which starts touring this September. It's a bit similar to 'Thriller Live' in that it is a musical celebration — but this time of the great Divas of our time such as Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston.

Thriller Live opens at the Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, in Singapore for a limited run of 16 shows. Performance schedules are Tuesday to Friday (7.30pm), and Saturday and Sunday (1.30pm and 7.30pm).

Tickets, ranging from S$90 to S$170, are available at sistic.com.sg / hotline 02-6348 5555. For more information, log on to marinabaysands.com.

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FIFA investigates Match-Fixing Claims

AFP News – Fri, May 6, 2011

Football's ruling body FIFA is investigating claims that over 300 matches on three continents were influenced by match-fixers, according to The Daily Telegraph.

FIFA suspects match officials were paid as little as $10,000 to help engineer specific results in international friendly matches and European club games, netting fixers hundreds of millions of dollars on Asian betting markets.

"The threat from match-fixing to the integrity of the global game is significant," Chris Eaton, FIFA's head of security, confirmed to the British newspaper.

"Interviews with those involved have told us that fixers can spend upwards of $300,000 to stage a friendly international and they do that with the expectation of a significant profit margin," the former Interpol official added.

Eaton told the Telegraph he believed fixers had made "tens of millions of dollars" in profit.

Employees from at least six different national football associations are under suspicion of assisting the criminal network, which is thought to work out of Singapore and Malaysia.

FIFA fear the upcoming under-17 and under-20 World Championships are at risk.

"We have admissions from those we are focusing on that they have been planning to target younger players at the under-17 and under-20 level," Eaton told the broadsheet.

"That is enough to make me concerned that we need to put preventative measures in place," he added.

Matches under suspicion include club games in Germany and Finland, Europa League fixtures and friendly internationals involving Kuwait, Jordan, Bolivia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Malaysia and Zimbabwe.

A friendly game between Bahrain and Togo came to the world's attention after the African country denied sending a team, and were instead represented by amateurs who struggled to last the full game.

During the match, which is under investigation, Bahrain scored eight goals, five of which were ruled out, resulting in a 3-0 scoreline.

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CAR brings down part of CHIJMES’ Roof

By Ewen Boey | SingaporeScene – 2 hours 13 minutes ago

Part of the roof of the CHIJMES historical building complex collapsed when a car smashed into one of its pillar on Sunday morning.

Police said they received a call at about 11.15am about the accident at the junction of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Street involving a Malaysian-registered car and a taxi.

The taxi driver was sent to a hospital in a conscious state. No other injuries were reported.

The driver of the smashed car, who wanted to be known only as Madam N. Tan, was visibly distraught when she told The Straits Times that she "somehow lost control of the steering wheel" because of a punctured tyre.

"Before I knew it, I felt the collision with the taxi and my car smashed into the building," said the 34-year-old sales executive from Malacca in Mandarin.

Tan, who was staying at the Bayview Hotel in Bencoolen Street, had arrived in Singapore on Saturday for a seminar. She was on her way to visit a relative with two of her children, also in the car, when the accident happened.

According to Low Kaili, 28, manager of the Japanese restaurant Gyu-Kaku located right next to the crash scene, a part of the restaurant's ceiling seemed to have cracked.

"We closed for lunch hour and had to transfer two large group reservations to our other branches," said Ms Low. "Now we are waiting for the authorities to check our restaurant and give us the green light to resume business."

Meanwhile, Chijmes is getting its surveyors to review the extent of damage. Said its senior property executive Suhaimi Mohd, 41, "We are getting our people down to put on supports so that the roof won't collapse further when the car is removed."

"I think a good part of the roof structure, the pillar, would have to be replaced. We will also look at the wiring of our power circuits."

CHIJMES, which once housed a Catholic convent school, is more than 130 years old. Now gazetted as a national monument, it has been restored for commercial purposes such as shopping, dining and entertainment.

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PORKIEDOGGIE meat anyone ???

Outrage over ‘DOG MEAT’ Dishes in Jurong East

By kaifong | SingaporeScene – 1 hour 25 minutes ago

An eatery in Jurong East touting two "dog meat" dishes has incurred the wrath of Singaporeans and drawn the attention of authorities.

The owner of Song Hua Jiang Restaurant said he has been hounded by angry calls -- many coming in the middle of the night - after pictures of its menu listing the dishes were posted in online forums on Sunday.

However, Song Yu Ran, 39, who is from China, told The Straits Times (ST) that the two dishes are actually made from pig innards.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said it was investigating and had taken samples of meat from the three-year-old outlet for testing.

"Welfare is a major consideration during the treatment and handling of live animals," said the AVA in an e-mail statement. "In the case of slaughter, AVA accepts only internationally-acceptable humane methods. There is no known humane method of slaughtering dogs for human consumption."

The import of dog meat is illegal in Singapore, and there are no licensed premises for the slaughter of dogs here. If convicted, the offender faces a fine of up to $10,000 or 12 months' imprisonment or both, for each charge.

The menu at the Song Hua Jiang restaurant, which serves North-eastern Chinese cuisine, features the two "dog meat" dishes with photos.

The English descriptions read: braised dog meat with tofu and dry cabbage, and dog meat tripe in sauce. The first costs S$14 while the latter, S$8. Chinese characters indicate only for the second dish that it is not real dog meat. About 40 plates each are sold a week.

However, Song stressed that he explains to any customer who orders the dish that it is not real dog meat.

The restaurant owner filed a complaint with the police Monday evening after receiving numerous disturbing calls.

"They can lodge a complaint against me if I have done something wrong, but they should not be yelling at me if they haven't got their facts right," he said.

Netizens have also posted comments on the Facebook page of animal rights group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), with many calling for investigations.

Acres has since clarified on its page saying that the owner has explained that the dish was actually pork, but added that "the owner, however, could not properly explain why he listed it as dog meat rather than just stating it as pork."

Said Acres executive director Louis Ng, "We wrote this because we felt that if the public is told that the eatery just wanted to have an unusual item for patrons to try, it will anger more people… we felt that this was not a proper explanation."

Ng added that Acres will be appealing to AVA to carry out further investigations.

According to Song, the eatery had been checked by AVA several times over the last three years following patrons' complaints about the "dog meat" on the menu.

He said AVA had on those occasions found that the meat was pork and told him only to block out the text on the menu.

He added that he did not remove the items from the menu because he wanted to promote an alternative for Chinese nationals who enjoy dog meat.

"I don't encourage people to eat dog meat, because I think that is cruel and inhumane. I am trying to provide an alternative for people who have a taste for the dish," said Song, who likened the items to mock meat sold in vegetarian restaurants.

His 70-seater eatery gets a mix of Chinese nationals and Singaporean customers.

Song has lived in Singapore for eight years with his wife and 14-year-old daughter. They are now Singapore citizens but he says he would consider moving abroad after this incident, reported ST.

"I am a law-abiding, contributing Singaporean trying to run a business here and it makes me sad that I am being attacked this way," he added.

[kueytoc]

New MISS TIFFANY UNIVERSE crowned in Pattaya

By Jofelle P. Tesorio in Pattaya/Asia News Network | ANN – Sun, May 8, 2011

Pattaya (ANN) - A 21-year old student from Ramkamhaeng University was crowned Miss Tiffany Universe in the resort city of Pattaya on Friday night (May 6).

The yearly pageant of the cabaret theatre Miss Tiffany Pattaya features the most beautiful transgenders and transvestites in the Kingdom. It has attracted young transgenders--from students to professionals--and has launched the career of a number of past winners.

Third year communication arts student Sirapassorn ‘Sammy’ Auttayakorn from Bangkok's Ramkamhaeng University and Suan Dusit University bested 29 other contestants in a pageant watched by millions of Thais through a live telecast.

The first runner-up was 23-year-old student Saranrat 'Nat' Chaiyakorn. The second runner-up was Tissanamadi 'Gigi' Bunniyom, a fourth year costumes design student at Bangkok’s Rajabhat University.

Tissanamdi, who was initially a crowd favourite, won the best in costume and Miss Photogenic special awards.

Other special award winners were Serinapa Petchaboon as Miss Unlimited Sexy Star for being the best in swimsuit, Archiraya Trithanawiboon (Miss Congeniality), Atchreechaya Tanuganurat (Most Stylish Cocktail Dress), Variny Khumpaiphuan (Miss NuRiss Beauty) and Sirapassorn Auttayakorn (Miss Silky Skin By Asoke Skin Hospital).

Miss Tiffany Universe was initiated in 1998 to promote tourism in Pattaya, Bangkok and Thailand. It has evolved into a platform for transgender men from all walks and to promote transgender and transvestites’ rights.

Alisa Panthusak, assistant managing director of Tiffany’s show Pattaya and chairperson of the contest said the contest is to select Thailand's representative to the Miss International Queen, dubbed as the Miss Universe of transvestites and transgenders. Reigning Miss International Queen, a Korean designer who is only known as ‘Mini’ also graced Miss Tiffany Universe pageant.

The Miss Tiffany Universe won a cash prize of 120,000 baht (US$4,000) and a Toyota Yaris. The first runner up won 100,000 baht ($3,300) while the second runner up won 20,000 baht ($750).

This year's pageant also saw a number of professional contestants such as a doctor, a flight attendant, a pharmacist, an engineer and a government civil servant.

Miss Tiffany Universe jumpstarted the career of some winners and constestants like Treechada ‘Poy’ Malayaporn, who is the image model of Thai mobile phone brand G-Net and has appeared in several television shows and a number of movies.

In an interview, Miss Tiffany 2011 Sirapassorn said Treechada is her inspiration because she has opened more avenues for transgender men in Thailand. Treechada has set an example to the Thais that transgenders can also make it to the mainstream entertainment industry.

This year, the contestants were also given the opportunity to design their own cocktail dresses, which was judged by New York designer Tiffany Khoury, who was in town to search to sustainable eco-fabrics from Thailand for her next collection.

.

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TOPLESS Coffee Shop in US forced to close over 'BOOBIES WANTED' sign

By ANI | ANI – Mon, May 9, 2011

London, May 09 (ANI): A coffee shop in the US, where topless waitresses served customers, has been forced to close after it put up a 'boobies wanted' sign.

Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine, hit the headlines when it opened in 2009, offering to serve customers semi-N.U.D.E., causing a storm of protest in a small town.

And despite a wave of protest from local campaigners in its home town of fewer than 5,000 people - and one high profile arson attack - the shop had until now, managed to keep business going.

But the controversial store's topless waitresses will finally have to get dressed and leave after town officials ruled that it has been putting up signs illegally.

Bosses insist the order has nothing to do with the shop's nudity policy - or the fact that the signs offered a topless car wash and advertised: "Boobies wanted".

They said simply putting up the new signs without permission violated zoning rules.

Donald Crabtree, the owner of Grand View Coffee Shop, which uses topless male and female waiters, said he had given up after fighting to exist for two years.

"I wanted to have some fun; I wanted to see people smile," the Daily Mail quoted Crabtree as telling local paper the Maine Morning Sentinel.

"I started the topless coffee shop to do that, and it did. But now my smile's gone. I've fought that fight for more than two years now and no matter how hard I try to make this work, somebody sabotages me," Crabtree added.

"These people are bound and determined to shut you down. I'm singled out, but I'm just trying to make a living like everyone else," he added.

Crabtree, 43, who has since run the business from a trailer, finally decided to close down after he was forced to take down the N.U.D.E. car wash and "boobies wanted" signs. (ANI)

[kueytoc]

GAME OVER !!!

TRIO charged over S$61m Housing Loans SCAM

By Kai Fong | SingaporeScene – Fri, May 13, 2011

A former loan officer from OCBC Bank was charged in court on Thursday with conspiring with property agents to deceive the bank into giving housing loans worth more than S$61 million.

Winnie Goh Li Ching, 33, faced 189 counts of deceiving the bank between 2004 and 2006. According to The Straits Times, she submitted false income tax or Central Provident Fund statements to secure loans for applicants who did not meet income requirements.

Her actions misled the bank into approving and disbursing housing loans of between S$112,000 and S$2.25 million each to about 170 clients.

Also charged on Thursday were housing agents Siti Rahayu Masud, 38, and Lau Thuan Heng, 62.

The duo were accused of submitting a false statement of affairs and failing to deliver surpluses from the sale of properties to the Official Assignee.

Goh allegedly assisted Siti and Lau on 14 occasions in 2005 and 2006 to cheat OCBC Bank of S$11 million in the form of housing loans. It is unclear if Goh accepted any commission from the agents in exchange for obtaining the bank's approval.

Goh also allegedly misled the bank on seven occasions into paying commissions totaling S$11,258 to housing agent Lay Liang Suan, purportedly for referring customers to the bank for housing loans.

Goh, who started working for the bank in 2004, quit in 2006. Married with a young child, she is now working in an administrative position with a local company. Goh, who is represented by lawyer Chen Chee Yen, is out on police bail of S$700,000.

Chen asked for the case to be postponed so that he could take instructions from his client on the charges. She will be back in court on 9 June.

Siti and Lau also faced charges under the Bankruptcy Act. They are also accused of multiple counts of leaving the country without permission.

Both were remanded as they were unable to post bail of S$500,000 each.

If convicted of cheating, the trio can be jailed for up to seven years on each charge, and fined.

[kueytoc]

ALAMAK !...'Tee-Tee' Itchy-Bitchy !!!

IMF CHIEF charged with SEX ATTACK in New York Hotel

REUTERS On Sunday 15 May 2011, 18:58

By Christine Kearney and Catherine Bremer

NEW YORK/PARIS (Reuters) - IMF chief and possible French presidential contender Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested and charged on Sunday with sexual assault, including an attempted rape, on a hotel maid in New York City.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, a key player in the response to the 2007-9 global financial meltdown and in Europe's debt crisis, was taken off an Air France plane about to leave for Paris from John F Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

One of his lawyers, Benjamin Brafman, told Reuters that the chief of the International Monetary Fund, the main overseer of the global economic system, "will plead not guilty."

The news rocked France, where latest opinion polls ranked Socialist Strauss-Kahn as front-runner for the nation's presidential election next April and May.

"All this is completely astounding, immensely troubling and distressing. If the facts prove true ... it's something degrading for all women. It's terrible for the image of France," said Francois Bayrou, a centrist opponent of Strauss-Kahn.

The IMF declined to comment and IMF board officials told Reuters they had not been informed officially of the incident.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said her rival's presidential hopes had been crushed. Strauss-Kahn and Le Pen have led recent opinion polls ahead of conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.

New York police spokesman Paul Browne said Strauss-Kahn was arrested at 2:15 a.m. on Sunday on charges of criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment.

"We must wait until things settle and see if it's true or a provocation, one of Strauss-Kahn's French-based lawyers, Leon Lef Forster, said. "We must be especially careful not to get into a media circus and we must wait until things are clear."

A 32-year-old maid filed a sexual assault complaint after fleeing the $3,000-a-night hotel suite at the Sofitel in Times Square where the alleged incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Saturday, Browne said.

Strauss-Kahn appeared to have fled the hotel after the incident, the police spokesman said.

Browne told Reuters: "She told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account.

"She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives. He tried to lock her into the hotel room."

Strauss-Kahn does not have diplomatic immunity, Browne said. He is expected to be brought before a state court on Sunday.

According to New York state law, a criminal sexual act carries a potential sentence of 15-20 years, the same as attempted rape. Unlawful imprisonment carries a potential sentence of three to five years.

IMPACT ON IMF

The allegation is a major embarrassment to the IMF, which has authorized billions of dollars in lending programs to troubled countries and has played a major role in the euro zone debt crisis.

It follows a statement on Thursday that the IMF's No. 2, John Lipsky, plans to step down in August when his term ends.

Popularly known by his initials DSK, the IMF managing director had been expected to declare by late June if he would run for president of France. The latest opinion polls ranked him as a clear winner over conservative incumbent Sarkozy.

"The case and the charges ... mark the end of his campaign and pre-campaign for the presidency and will most likely prompt the IMF to ask him to leave his post," National Front leader Le Pen told i-Tele television.

Conservative Trade Minister Pierre Lellouche said: "I think we have to grant DSK the presumption of innocence. If all this were true it would be damning."

Even Strauss-Kahn's political allies were pessimistic.

"The most likely outcome is that this case will stick and even if he pleads not guilty, which he may be, he won't be able to be candidate for the Socialist primary for the presidency and he won't be able to stay at the IMF," said prominent Socialist Jacques Attali.

If Strauss-Kahn were out of the race, leading candidates for the Socialist presidential ticket include party leader Martine Aubry, left-wing veteran Francois Hollande and Segolene Royal, the candidate beaten by Sarkozy in 2007.

PLANE HELD AT JFK

In New York, police spokesman Browne said: "The NYPD realized he had fled, he had left his cell phone behind. We learned he was on an Air France plane. They held the plane and he was taken off and is now being held in police custody for questioning."

After being removed from the aircraft's first-class section, he was taken to the police department's Special Victims Unit in Manhattan, known to viewers of a hit U.S. television show based on its work. The woman, who has not been named, was treated in hospital for minor injuries, Browne said.

Strauss-Kahn was on his way to Europe for a meeting on Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the European debt crisis, and then was to attend a euro zone finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday.

Strauss-Kahn took over the IMF in November 2007 for a five-year term scheduled to end next year. Before that, he was a French finance minister, member of the French National Assembly and a professor of economics.

He has faced controversy before.

In October 2008, he apologized for "an error of judgment" for an affair with a female IMF economist who was his subordinate. An inquiry cleared him of harassment and abuse of power, although he was warned by the fund's board of member countries against further improper conduct.

Strauss-Kahn apologized to the woman, Piroska Nagy, and his wife, French television personality Anne Sinclair, as well as to IMF employees for the trouble he had caused.

Since taking over the IMF, he has won praise for putting the fund at the center of global efforts to cope with the global financial meltdown.

He introduced sweeping changes to ensure that countries swamped by the financial collapse had access to emergency loans, and was pivotal in brokering bailouts for Iceland, Hungary, Greece, Ireland, and recently Portugal.

He has overseen changes that have given emerging market countries, such as China, India and Brazil, greater voting power in the IMF, and weighed into thornier issues by urging China to let its currency rise in a dispute with the United States.

Lipsky's planned departure and now Strauss-Kahn's detention raise questions about a possible IMF leadership vacuum.

(Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Noeleen Walder, Catherine Bremer and John Irish; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Peter Millership)

[kueytoc]

SURE boh ???

IMF's Strauss-Kahn facing French Smear Campaign - ALLY

REUTERS On Saturday 14 May 2011, 21:47 SGT

PARIS (Reuters) - A close ally of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, possible Socialist candidate in France's presidential election, said on Saturday the IMF chief was the target of a smear campaign by President Nicolas Sarkozy's camp.

Strauss Kahn, front-runner in surveys of voting intentions ahead of next April's election, is taking legal action over media reports which portray him as having a luxury lifestyle.

"There is now a totally structured and orchestrated campaign, which has already been announced by Mr Sarkozy and his closest allies, to attack the character of Strauss-Kahn, Socialist politician Jean-Marie Le Guen told Europe 1 radio.

"The Elysee (Sarkozy's office) has for months been clear on the idea that they would attack (his) personality," he added.

Asked about the accusations, an Elysee spokesman said: "we have no comment to make on these claims."

Jean Veil, Strauss-Kahn's lawyer, said on Friday he had been asked to start legal action against a French newspaper on the grounds it had published false information about his lifestyle.

He cited, as one of what he said were several inaccurate details in the report, the assertion that Strauss-Kahn had lavished large sums on suits from a luxury tailor in Washington described as serving U.S. President Barack Obama.

"His suits are perfectly normal and allegations which are now spread regularly throughout the media are both fabrications and now clearly defamatory," Le Guen said.

The French former finance minister, who has yet to say if he will run for French president and would have to quit as head of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund if he does so, also served notice to others ahead of an election campaign that many predict could get dirty.

(Reporting by Patrick Vignal, John Irish and Emmanuel Jarry)

[kueytoc]

Strauss-Kahn SEX ARREST complicates Greek Bailout No.2

AFP On Sunday 15 May 2011, 18:48 SGT

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest on sexual assault charges risks further complicating efforts to fix a second Greek bailout and resolve the eurozone debt crisis -- moves towards which the IMF chief was particularly active.

Strauss-Kahn was to have met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday to address the issues that have topped his in-tray at the International Monetary Fund ahead of talks between European finance ministers in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday.

Quite apart from the impact on his travel plans or a bid for the French presidency next year, the accusations of rape on a hotel chambermaid seriously threaten his position at the head of the IMF.

"This comes at a bad time for the eurozone," said an EU diplomat Sunday, with speculation likely to dominate the corridors of the Brussels talks at which the terms behind Portugal's 78-billion-euro EU-IMF bailout will nevertheless be signed off.

The IMF however insists the work of the world lender of last resort goes on while the judicial process unfolds in New York.

The former Socialist French finance minister has played a pivotal role over the past 18 months in negotiations seeking to ring-fence the decade-old euro currency by shoring up black holes in the finances of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

A strong backer from the off, Strauss-Kahn lobbied discreetly for the policy response taken by the EU, pushing economic reform alongside the setting up of a permanent rescue fund which threatened in some eyes to pre-sage a formal system of fiscal transfers.

The IMF is behind one third of the monies already pumped in or set aside for Greece (some 35 billion), Ireland (around 20) and Portugal (25).

The extent to which the eurozone crisis has dominated Strauss-Kahn's focus was recently queried by the United States, Canada and other major emerging economies, when other parts of the world also need attention, diplomats also say.

IMF officials are currently in Athens alongside EU experts examining Greek efforts to improve their public finances and a report due at the beginning of June will determine the scale and scope of a second bailout likely to run into tens of billions more.

The IMF has pushed Greece to sell off more of the family silver as a pre-condition.

After being pressed repeatedly to rule out a second, EU-wide bailout, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde told the BBC on Thursday night that "the consideration at the moment is to extend" an existing framework of bilateral loans.

Ireland's calls for eased terms on the interest demanded under its EU-IMF bailout, already strongly resisted by France, are likely to fall off the Brussels agenda.

The European ministers are though set to anoint Italian central bank governor Mario Draghi as the successor to France's Jean-Claude Trichet as president of the European Central Bank.